Take My Hand
by Night Rain Illusion
Summary: AU, Advanceshipping and Ikarishipping. Ash and May are lost in Eterna Forest and come upon the Pokemon Chateau, where they meet its maiden, Dawn. But when Dawn is suddenly more than she seems, they find that there is a much bigger secret at large here...
1. Helping Hand

I've been writing too many dark Pokemon fics and stuff lately, so let's break that streak with a more lighter, fluffier, upbeat fic! And it's Advanceshipping! (Plus some one-sided Pearlshipping and a little Ikarishipping)

I don't think that this fic will actually be very long, like maybe four chapters at the most. Also, it's slightly AU, as Dawn, Zoey, and Paul have different backgrounds and such. This fic also isn't as heavily romance like the last one, so most of it is light, fluffy stuff, which is where the title and chapter names derive from.

I don't own Pokemon and the obscure Haunted Mansion references.

**Take My Hand**

**One: Helping Hand**

"Ash, we've been walking through this forest for several hours now."

"Look, I'm pretty sure that I know where I'm going..."

"I think we're lost."

"No, we're just...misplaced..."

Eterna Forest was dark, yet the sun was out, being shrouded by dense overgrowth and trees. Pokemon such as Wurmple and Buneary skittered around, watching the group of two that were moving through the forest. Wait; make that three, counting the little Pikachu that was riding on the male's shoulder.

Ash Ketchum stopped walking as he looked around at the surrounding trees. "Wait...didn't we just pass that tree?" he asked aloud, pointing to a tree that they had indeed already passed. His short black hair wavered a little in the cool wind that blew through the forest, but most of it was kept firmly underneath his hat. He was wearing blue jeans and a black t-shirt that was underneath his jacket with the yellow stripe that his mom had made for him for the start of his new journey. Because of his long pants, he wasn't bothered by the long grass-like weeds that were tall and went past his ankles and close to his knees.

May, however, was less amused. "I thought you said that you knew where you were going." she said. May had long brown hair that too wavered with the wind, but was kept underneath a red bandanna. Unlike Ash however, she was wearing a short sleeved red jacket and white shorts, which she somewhat regretted as she paused to knock some of the weeds away from her legs

Pikachu, Ash's faithful Pokemon, turned to Ash from where it was sitting on his shoulder. It may have trusted Ash's judgment, but it too wished to know and be reassured that they weren't lost. "Pika pi chu?" it asked inquisitively.

Ash smiled at his Pikachu. "Don't worry buddy, we're not lost." Ash had that uncanny ability to know what Pikachu was asking, so somehow knew that "Pika pi chu?" meant "Ash, are we lost?"

Pikachu nodded whereas May plopped down on a tree stump. "Yeah, well, I'm taking a break."

Ash followed suit, sitting on one as well. "It's too bad that we haven't met up with Brock yet. He usually has a map that could lead us out of this forest."

Brock, the usual third member of the group, had briefly gone home to visit his family, but had promised to meet up with Ash in Sinnoh. May and her brother Max had gone home briefly as well, before May returned and met up with Ash a few days ago. Ash had been shocked to see her, as her original plan had been to go on a solo journey to Johto. Max, however, stayed behind with their parents and was helping his father run their family gym in Petalburg.

_"What are you going here?" Ash had asked flabbergasted. _

_"What, you aren't happy to see me?"_

_"Well yeah, but weren't you..." Ash trailed off. _

_"I was...but..." she paused and Ash couldn't help but wonder what was running through her mind. "I found out that they have contests in Sinnoh, so I figured, why not?"_

_Ash grinned. "Well, I'm glad to have you traveling with me again. As soon as we find Brock, then our group will be complete." _

_He noticed a weird, faraway look in her eyes before she smiled and nodded, but he never asked her about it._

But somehow, it was only the two of them for those few days, even when getting Ash's first badge or passing through a few towns. Ash was beginning to worry that something had happened to Brock, but apparently, from when he had called up Brock's house at a Pokemon center, that Brock had indeed left...so why hadn't they caught up to him by now?

May had suggested just simply waiting somewhere for him, but Ash felt that they should continue to press on, as they never knew where they would actually meet up with Brock.

"What are we going to do Ash? If we can't find the way out?" May asked.

"Don't worry...we'll find the way out...we'll just..." Ash trailed off, at a loss for words. After a minute or two, he stood up again.

"We should probably continue onward." Ash said. May nodded as she stood up as well.

They continued onward for some time in silence, until a fog started to settle in. May shivered as they walked and Ash had to have the patience to not point out how close she was to bumping into him. At some point, he suddenly heard May scream.

"May?" Ash asked, immediately worried and looking around for a sign of her in the now dense fog. May suddenly came from his left, panting.

"May, are you alright?" Ash asked, concerned. "Why were you screaming?"

"Well, I suddenly lost sight of you and I was worried that I was lost." May admitted. May was surprised as Ash held a hand out.

"Well, just take my hand and I'll make sure that we don't get separated again." Ash said. May stared at the offered hand for what felt like the longest minute before taking it as Ash pulled her along through the thick fog that had suddenly swept out over the forest. Even though Ash was walking at a slow pace, May had to run a little to keep up with him, her thoughts somewhere miles away.

_Was he just being a gentlemen or something? Helping out a friend? Or..._

Ash's thoughts were on something similar to May's.

_Why did she take so long just to hold my hand? I was only making sure that we wouldn't get lost again...and May seems distracted for some reason..._

Eventually May was able to walk at a normal pace, her hand lightly squeezing Ash's as if in her own reassurance that he wouldn't let go. As they walked, they noticed the crunch of dead leaves and grass under their feet and the absence of Pokemon around them.

"Where are we?" May wondered aloud.

"I don't know. Maybe we're just in an older part of the forest..." Ash guessed.

"Well, I just hope that the oldest part is the closet to the exit."

Suddenly, they came upon the strangest thing to find in a forest. A dark red picket fence was in front of them, the wood worn down and rotted from over the years, with some broken or leaning beams. The gate had a rusted lock, and next to it, an old sign tacked down into the ground by a rotted pike.

**The Pokemon Chateau**

"There's a house out here in the woods?" Ash asked aloud.

"Maybe there are people that can tell us how to get out of this forest." May suggested.

"Only one way to find out." Ash said as he lightly pushed against the gate, which as expected, creaked loudly like a gate that hadn't been opened in several years. As they made their way inside, neither noticed how the sign out front that they had read earlier suddenly sprouted roots around its base and pulled the sign back into the ground.

As they walked, the grassy ground below them was replaced with an old cobblestone walkway that had rocks that jutted upward at some angles. The closer they came, Ash and May noticed old rose bushes and gardens that lined the walkway, ones that were not dead, yet were still dried and parched. A fountain that spewed water every now and then was on their left, but the angel statue that might have been on it was missing a chunk of its head, its one eye staring upward as if to the heavens. The only thing that seemed to be alive were vines and weeds that practically crawled along the ground, as they drew closer, the weeds had started to climb up the sides of the building that now stood before them, weaving its way around its large bay windows and old oak door. In an odd Gothic majestic way, the mansion was still grand. The porch steps creaked under their feet as they stood in front of the doors, unsure of what they should do.

"I guess we should knock..." Ash said after he had found his voice. The sight of the house of such utter disrepair gave him the creeps, though he wouldn't openly admit it.

May, however, did. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Well, maybe living in the forest makes it hard to take care of all the plant life?" Ash suggested. Pikachu on his shoulder ever so slightly dug its claws into the fabric of his shirt, but it still made its discomfort known.

"Chuu..."

Ash reached up and placed a reassuring hand on its head. "Don't worry Pikachu, nothing bad's going to happen."

He lowered his hand only to lift it up again to knock when...

"Uh, Ash?"

"What May?" Ash asked as he was seconds away from his hand making contact with the door.

"You're still holding my hand."

Ash looked down and noticed that his other hand had still been holding May's and the dull blush that had spread across her face.

"Sorry." he said, immediately letting go, and as he did, he noticed that his hand suddenly felt cold. He turned back to face the door, trying to hide his own blush. _It's just the fog that's making you cold, not..._

"Ash?"

"Hmm?"

"There's a door-knocker right there." she pointed. Ash looked and noticed for the first time a brass door-knocker that had a Pokemon that he had heard was called Piplup, a little penguin's head that held the brass ring in its beak. He grabbed it and knocked it three times against the doors, which caused three long ringing sounds throughout the house even after he had stopped knocking. At first, nothing happened, which caused May to give a shaky laugh.

"Ok, nobody's home, let's just..."

The oak doors gave a great shudder as they swung inward, showing the pitch blackness of inside the house, as if the doors had opened by themselves. After a few seconds, a voice spoke.

"Come in."

Ash and May seemed to mentally brace themselves before entering the house.

* * *

_A young lady with orange hair wearing a white suit opened the door to the mistress' room._

_"My Mistress, we have visitors."_

_The girl at the window didn't seem to have heard him; instead her eyes were focused on the boy approaching her home. Her pale fingers tightened their hold on her arms, brushing against the pink shimmer fabric of her dress. Her unblinking eyes never left the young boy with the Pokemon on his shoulder. _

_"Madam?"_

_She turned around and smiled. "Prepare the servants and maids, afterward invite our guests in. I shall join you all shortly."_

_She momentarily glanced out the window, a frown tugging at her lips as she watched the girl that was with the boy. Her eyes narrowed almost noticeably as they stopped holding each others hands. _

_"Madam?" the servant asked once more._

_The grin was back on her face. "It's nothing."_

_"Are you sure?" Even though most servants usually refrained from getting close to their boss, she was always concerned about her and often worried._

_"Absolutely." she said, the grin more forced than before. She turned back to the window, a sinister smirk beginning to play on her lips. _

_"Oh, and Zoey?"_

_Her personal servant blinked in surprised at being addressed. "Uh, yes?"_

_The girl at the window didn't turn to face her, but somehow Zoey knew that she was grinning widely and was quite glad that she didn't have to see her almost feral smile. _

_"Make sure that our guests are quite 'comfortable'."_


	2. Hands Off!

Yeah, updates do go a little slow for this fic, but I was sort of just seeing what kind of reviews I would get first. I really want to finish it by Valentine's Day though, but I can't say that I'll be able to.

Also, "Lady Berlitz" is a reference to the Dawn from the manga. The weird stuff starts happening in the next chapter as well. Sorry for May's slight out of characterness. There's a reason for it, and we'll find out why sometime next chapter. Let's just say that it's Dawn's fault.

I don't own Pokemon. Nor any vague Haunted Mansion references that you think you read.

**Two: Hands Off!**

Their footsteps echoed loudly on the floors, presumably marble. It was quiet, deathly quiet. An eerie glow was cast over them from the hanging chandelier above Ash and May's heads. They were standing in what appeared to be the entrance hall. There were many doors and hallways around them that seemed to go off in many different directions all around the mansion. In front of them was what appeared to be a balcony, with two curling staircases on either side of it. May took a step forward and noticed busts of Pokemon, such as the Piplup they had seen on the door knocker. There was also one of a Buneary, a Pokemon that they had spotted in the forest earlier. The other two were of what appeared to be an otter and a squirrel. She wondered if maybe the owner of the mansion had these Pokemon.

Footsteps sounded from their left, and Ash and May turned to see someone approaching them. It was a girl who appeared to be a year older than the two of them, with short orange hair that seemed to spike upward in one direction. She was wearing a white suit, similar to that of a butler, but more female oriented. Next to her feet was a purple cat with blue eyes that seemed to be staring at the two of them, as if it could see into their souls.

"Welcome to the Pokemon Chateau. My name is Zoey, and I will be happy to assist you on behalf of my Mistress." she bowed, yet Ash noticed that she never took her dark orange, almost blood red eyes off them. The cat Pokemon next to her also inclined its head in a bow. "And this is my Glameow." she introduced, answering the question that Ash was about to ask. Pikachu's ears lowered slightly. It didn't like the look of the Glameow. The motion, however, went unnoticed.

"Hi, I'm Ash." Ash introduced.

"I'm May. Nice to meet you." May also introduced. "But who is this 'Mistress'?"

"She is the owner of this mansion. She will be joining us shortly." Zoey said, and Ash noticed how her eyes seemed to glance upward at the staircase before resting back on their faces.

"Well, we're not really planning on staying..." May started to say, "We just need to ask for directions..."

"Lost travelers?" Zoey asked.

"Yeah. Do you think you could tell us which way is Eterna City?" Ash asked. Zoey's mouth curled slightly, in thought, and yet it seemed like she had a look that suggested that she had never heard of Eterna City.

"To be honest, I'm not sure myself, but maybe Lady Berlitz knows..." she said aloud in thought, before suddenly putting a hand to her mouth.

"What's the matter?" Ash asked. Zoey shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to call the Mistress' that. She gets angry when I do." Zoey said, before muttering something that suspiciously sounded like, "Even if it's her own name."

Zoey put on a fake smile before asking, "May I escort you on a tour around the mansion?"

May shrugged. "Sure." After all, apparently they wouldn't be able to leave without asking this "Mistress" about where Eterna City was.

Zoey stepped over to their staircase and bowed as Ash and May started to go up, when May stopped.

"I've been meaning to ask, but what are those Pokemon she had busts of?" May asked.

"Those are her Pokemon. Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, and Buizel. I guess you two aren't native to the Sinnoh region either?" Zoey asked.

"Yeah, I'm here to get my gym badges!" Ash boasted. Pikachu did a little salute on his shoulder in a cheerful boastful way as well.

"And I'm here to enter the contests!" May also stated.

Zoey had a strange look, like seeing something very far away, before smiling somewhat sadly at May.

"You remind me a lot of the Mistress. She too wanted to be a coordinator." she said. Ash noticed that her eyes flickered in his direction momentarily, as if she was about to say something, but then decided against it.

"Wanted to? Why didn't she?" May asked.

Zoey looked uncomfortable. "Something came up and she realized that her place was here." she said before going past them, strangely silent. Ash looked over at May, each shrugging as they didn't know what else to say, and began following her down the hall.

* * *

_"Please come out! We really don't have time for this!"_

_A little girl watched from behind her hiding place as a frantic maid strode around, the maids daughter following behind her. The little girl brushed some of her dark blue hair out of her eyes, making sure that she could still see. _

_"We need you to get ready for the dinner! Please stop hiding, Lady Berlitz!"_

_The little girl frowned before stepping out from behind her hiding spot, the tall mirror in the corner of her room. _

_"Oh, there you are. Come on, into this dress..."_

_"I don't want to!"_

_"You have to; they're all waiting on you Lady Berlitz!"_

_The maid's daughter, who was a year older than the little girl, watched interestedly as a fire seemed to light in the little girl's eyes. The girl snapped her arm away from the maid. _

_"No."_

_"Please don't make this hard for me..."_

_"I don't want to go down there! I don't want to go to this stupid dinner! I don't want to meet those people!" the girl shouted, stomping her foot down. "And quit calling me 'Lady Berlitz'! I have a first name you know!"_

_"Please, your parents are waiting for you. You don't want to disappoint them, do you?"_

_The little girl puffed her cheeks out stubbornly before spreading her arms out, frowning in annoyance as the maid slipped the dress over her head and started pinning it together. When it was finished, the maid stepped back, breathing a sigh of relief that it was finally done. She left, telling the girl that she needed to go down in a few minutes. The maid's daughter stepped forward._

_"Why are you acting so stubborn about this?" she asked, orange hair moving as she seemed angry at the little girl. Apparently she was getting sick of the girl's attitude, but then again, maybe she was a little jealous that she had not been born as the princess; she would have been more grateful for having money and being so high-class. But what did that girl know? Nothing...she was just a spoiled brat..._

_"Hey Zoey, can you keep a secret?"_

_"Huh?" Zoey said, taken aback. _

_"I don't want to be stuck here in this mansion! I want to go out into the world and be a coordinator, not a princess locked up in this place! Someday I'm going to leave this place! Promise you won't tell anyone? Please Zoey?" the girl asked, hands clasped together and eyes wide, pleading with her. _

_"O-ok..." Zoey said, surprised by this. The girl smiled. _

_"Thanks Zoey."_

_Zoey smiled a little, and in an attempt to make a joke. "Maybe someday I'll leave too and we'll become coordinators! Together!" _

_The girl nodded enthusiastically, grinning so wide that it almost split her face. _

_"Yeah! It's a promise!"_

* * *

Zoey opened the door to the dining room. Ash and May couldn't help but gasp. The room was huge! A long table that could seat forty people sat in the center, three large chandeliers hanging over it. Even though there were nobody there, all the places were set. At the very head was a large, regal looking chair. Zoey bowed.

"My Mistress wishes to dine with the two of you before you leave." she said.

"Alright!" Ash said, stomach growing. May rolled her eyes a little. All he ever thought about was food! But...they weren't planning to stay that long...they only needed directions...

The large double doors on the other end of the room suddenly opened. Ash and May couldn't see who it was, but Zoey did. She stepped in front of the two of them.

"May I now introduce the Mistress of the Pokemon Chateau, the beautiful Lady Berlitz!" she said, stepping to the side, although Ash noticed that she had cringed slightly when saying the name. The two looked up and without thinking about it, their mouths fell open.

A young girl stood before them, dressed in a fancy, shimmery pink dress. In the somewhat dark room, she seemed to glow vibrantly. Her short dark-blue hair was held by yellow clips in certain places, and her pale hands were clasped together in front of her. Her hair was as dark as her blue eyes, which seemed somewhat empty of emotion, despite the smile on her face. She walked forward until she was standing in front of the two of them, Ash noticing for the first time that she was shorter than him, about as tall as May. May was scowling slightly, noticing that Ash was going red in the face. She extended a hand out toward him, as if expecting him to kiss it.

"Hello. My name is Lady Berlitz. But you can call me...Dawn." she introduced.

* * *

_Dawn scowled as she stood next to her Mother's leg, ignoring the small talk she and another adult were having. This was boring! What she wouldn't give to go play with Piplup..._

_"Oh, and here he is! Say hi to him!"_

_Dawn turned, expecting to have to pretend to like whoever it was, but instead, she was surprised. A boy her age was standing in front of her, by the leg of another parent. He had short purple hair and intense looking eyes. He too, also looked like he would rather be somewhere else than there. However, he too was also surprised at seeing her. _

_"Don't be shy, greet him!"_

_Dawn curtsied. 'It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." she said, well rehearsed. The boy bowed slightly before suddenly hurrying away. _

_"He must be really shy..." she could hear her Mom say above her._

* * *

"Please please, sit down." she offered a seat toward Ash, the seat closest to hers. Ash sat down as May took the seat opposite of him on the other side. Dawn was now sitting in the regal chair, in between them. A cook brought out a few silver platters and opened them, revealing a delicious five course meal.

"Have as much as you like." she said. Ash grinned. Who was he to pass up food? He started to eat eagerly as Zoey put a bowl down on the floor for Pikachu.

"So, could you tell me about yourself, Ash Ketchum?" Dawn asked, leaning forward.

"Uh, well, I'm on a quest to become a Pokemon Master." Ash began.

"Fascinating..." she muttered, and May had the distinct feeling that Dawn wasn't really listening, she was too busy staring at Ash.

"And currently I'm traveling with Pikachu and May so that we can catch up with a friend and go for my next gym badge." Ash continued, who didn't seem to have noticed Dawn's weird feigned interest.

"I see. That sounds like quite the exciting endeavor." she laughed. May started to speak up.

"Well, I'm trying to become a-"

"What kind of Pokemon do you have Ash? Can you show them to me?" Dawn asked, effectively cutting May off. Ash looked startled, but modest as he shrugged. "Alright then."

May frowned from her seat as Ash opened up three pokeballs, revealing Aipom, a Pokemon he had caught called Staravia, (a bird Pokemon that was the evolved form of Starly), and another new Pokemon named Turtwig that resembled a grass turtle. May's hand started to go to her own belt where she kept her pokeballs.

"Do you want to see mine?" she asked politely, but was ignored as Dawn pointed at Aipom.

"Wow, your Aipom is really cute!" she said as she tickled it under its chin. It seemed to giggle, but May noticed that Aipom looked a little...disturbed as she smiled at it. It went unnoticed between Ash and Dawn though.

"So, what was a traveler like you doing all alone in Eterna Forest?" Dawn asked after Ash had returned his Pokemon.

"Well..."

Quite suddenly, May slammed her hands down on the table, getting both Ash and Dawn's attention. "He wasn't alone; I was there, wasn't I?"

"Oh!" Dawn said, as if just noticing her for the first time. "Yes, of course! I meant what you two were doing alone in the forest?" she said quickly, though May couldn't help but notice that she was sort of rushing through her words.

"Well, we got lost in the forest on the way to Eterna City..." Ash started to say. May stood and walked around to the other side.

"This is why we are here. Do you think you could tell us how to get to Eterna City, that way we don't have to bother you with our presence?" May asked through her teeth. Ash stared at her. What had gotten May so angry?

"Why of course, I'll tell you, but I wouldn't feel right if I didn't offer my hospitality to you both." she said.

"No thanks. We're leaving." May said as she grabbed Ash's wrist and started pulling him toward the door. Pikachu hurriedly jumped on Ash's shoulder. But then the door swung open to reveal a troubled Zoey.

"I'm afraid that no one will be leaving the mansion tonight. It seems it has become much too dark for people to travel in, as dangerous Pokemon are sure to attack." she said worriedly.

Dawn smiled as she opened her arms wide. "I'm sorry about that. But I'll be happy to lend you rooms for the night. Then you'll get your directions and be able to leave first thing in the morning."

"That sounds alright." Ash said, causing May to glare at him accusingly.

A few minutes later, Zoey opened a door in a hallway and held a hand out. "This will be your room Ash."

"Ok."

Zoey opened the one across from it. "And this one will be your room May."

May frowned. The hallway had a large space between each side. Almost like as if it was to intentionally separate them. Zoey bowed once before leaving.

"Ash, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"This Dawn girl. I don't trust her!" May said, arms crossed.

"She's just being polite..."

"To you maybe..."

"May? Are you...jealous?" Ash asked. The minute he asked that, he regretted it as she laughed.

"Me? Jealous? Of someone like her? Please!" she spat. She didn't know why she was angry right now, more or less at Ash of all people. All she knew was that she wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. Something about it didn't sit well with her. "As if I could ever be jealous of a person like her! She's not to be trusted, and I don't think that you should be acting so charming to her!"

"May..." Ash said worriedly. May was sort of starting to scare him. He reached a hand out to touch her shoulder, but she smacked it away.

"Keep your hands off me, _Ash Ketchum_. I'll see you tomorrow." she said mockingly before going into her room and practically slamming the door in his face. Ash stood there, confused as ever.

_May...what's wrong? What did I do to make you so angry at me?_

May on the other side slid down on to the floor.

_What the heck is wrong with me? Why did I yell at Ash like that? For some reason I just feel so angry at him..._

**_"So, could you tell me about yourself, Ash Ketchum?"_**

May suddenly stood, eyes wide.

They never told her their names. They had been about to, but she had cut them off and had offered them the seats to sit in.

_I got to tell Ash!_

May opened the door to see that Ash was no longer in the hallway, and the door to his bedroom was open.

The room was empty.

Meanwhile, Dawn stood before a portrait in the library. Row upon row of dusty books sat all around her as she sat down on a red couch in front of the portrait after a few minutes, a wine glass in her hand. She held it out toward the portrait, as if in a toast.

"Soon...soon we'll be together again...I'm sure of it." she whispered, her eye's fixed on the eyes of the intense looking man in the picture.

* * *

_Later that evening, she snuck away from her Mom and went out into the yard. She sat down on the edge of the fountain, looking up at the sky. Hopefully this stupid party would end soon. _

_"Umm..."_

_Dawn turned to see the boy from earlier standing next to her. He looked awkward, his face red. He swallowed once before holding something out to her. "Here."_

_In his fist was a daisy, yet it was missing a petal or two, as if he had been forceful when pulling it out of the ground. Her face reddened, watching as his fist slightly shook. _

_"Wow! It's so pretty!" she said before taking it. She looked back at him curiously. "But why?"_

_The boy looked away, blushing furiously and looking embarrassed. "I was taught that you give flowers to cute girls."_

_Dawn was blushing madly as well, but was smiling. He thought she was cute? She extended a hand out. _

_"My name's Dawn."_

_He looked at it before taking it and bringing it to his lips. It was such a moment to see, a little boy taking a little girl's hand and kissing it. _

_"And I'm Paul."_


	3. Holding Hands Will Fall

Yay for character origin flashbacks and creepy confusing shit happening! And please review more! And sorry if some characters seem out of character. There is a reason behind it. Remember: This is a freaky ass mansion!

I don't own Pokemon. Or Advanceshipping. Or you...just read. That is all.

**Three: Holding Hands Will Fall**

Ash sat down on the bed, wondering what he could do to get May to not be angry at him anymore, tossing a pokeball in the air while deep in thought. Maybe she was right. Dawn had been a little too close for comfort, but why would something like that upset May? It was like she said, she wasn't jealous. It's not like as if she liked him...

He stopped tossing the pokeball. The idea of May liking him like _that _was a thought that he could actually imagine. After all, he did like her as a friend, but he wasn't sure if he liked her more than that.

During his musing, Pikachu watched with interest. Being a Pokemon, it could sense the feelings of its trainer and the feelings of the people close to the training. If he could talk, he would have pointed out to the denseness that was his trainer all the people that had ever liked him more than a friend, the people that he had let slip by him. It wasn't sure if it could sit by and wait for May to slip past Ash too. But then its ears suddenly turned in the direction of a noise near the door. It looked over to see the Glameow from earlier standing near the door. It blinked once before turning and walking off down the hallway, its tail beckoning for Pikachu to follow. Pikachu hopped off the bed without Ash noticing and followed the Glameow out the door.

"What do you think, Pikachu?" he asked after a minute, but by that time, Pikachu was gone. He stood up, looking around the room.

"Pikachu?" he called. He stepped out into the hallway. Pikachu wasn't in sight. He started walking down the hallway, leaving the door to his room open behind him.

* * *

_"Dawn, you have a visitor."_

_"Really? Who?" she asked, looking away from the servant that was brushing her hair and now at her mother. Her mother stepped to the side to reveal Paul._

_"Paul! You're back!" she cheered, immediately standing up, blushing madly. She ran over, practically tackling him, her arms around his neck. Paul wasn't looking at her, face reddening as well. _

_"I-it's good to see you too Dawn." he muttered. When she let go, he held out a bouquet of roses. "I brought these for you." he said, again not looking at her, his entire face red. _

_"They're beautiful!" she squealed, ignoring the fact that they were a little crushed from where they had been held against her chest when she had hugged him. _

_It was three years later, after that fateful meeting at the dinner party years ago. Paul would come over once a week and the two would play together. Last year, he had come over to announce that he was going on a Pokemon journey. She had wanted to come with him, but her mother wouldn't allow her, but Paul promised her that he would come back right away...but days turn to months and months turned into a year. _

_But she didn't seem too upset by this, for she had always held on to the hope that he would always come back real soon. _

_"Come on, come on, let's go to the fountain! Tell me all about your adventure!" she gushed, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him toward the door. _

_"Uh, alright..." he agreed. As she talked some about the things that had happened in the year while he was going, he couldn't help but smile. She really hadn't changed at all, always smiling and talking a mile a minute. He really loved her smile..._

_"So, tell me about the things you've seen!" she said as she sat down on the edge of the fountain. She had to be careful; she was still dressed in one of her more formal dresses, a bright green one. Little had changed at the age of ten; she was still stubborn as before. She still looked the same as well, only a little taller and more slender. Paul had also grown at height, at the age of twelve, but he still had the same purple hair and intense looking eyes. _

_"Well, I traveled around in this region a little, before going to the Kanto region for some time. I took a quick side trip to Johto and Hoenn as well, but then I felt a little homesick, so I figured that I should come back and see how you were doing..." Paul said. "What about you?"_

_"I've been attending a few parties and such, as well as meeting with a few ambassadors. Just last week I spoke with a man who said he was from the Devon Corporation in Hoenn. He was an OK fellow. He simply wanted to know how we felt about his products. I also got a couple of Pokemon as gifts from a few friends. They're over there on the other side of the garden." she said, pointing over to the garden near them. Paul could see what appeared to be her Piplup, a Buneary, a Pachirisu, and a Buizel playing together. _

_"I'm glad that things are good..." he said. When he glanced over, he noticed that she was frowning. _

_"What's the matter?" he asked with concern evident in his voice. _

_"It's...it's nothing."_

_"Are you sure? You can tell me you know. We are friends after all..." he whispered. _

_Dawn's hands tightened on her dress. "It's just so boring around here. I wish I could leave and go on a Pokemon adventure as well..." she muttered. _

_He glanced back over at the mansion. None of her usual servants or guards was around for some reason. He turned back to her. _

_"Maybe...maybe you and I could leave together."_

_"W-what?" she asked, surprised. _

_"Yeah, you and I could go together on a Pokemon journey. Didn't you say that you wanted to be a Pokemon Coordinator?" he asked. _

_"Yeah!" she nodded. _

_"Maybe we can convince your mom to let us go together. I'm sure she shouldn't have a problem with it being the two of us and not just you on your own." Paul suggested. _

_"Yeah! She just has to say yes!" Dawn said, fists pumped. _

_"Then it's settled. Together we will talk to her and ask her." _

_Dawn nodded, smiling again. Paul couldn't help but smile too. _

_He would do anything to make her happy..._

* * *

"Ash? Ash, where are you?" May asked, a candle in one hand. She was walking around the old mansion, unknowingly walking in the opposite direction that Ash had actually gone. She could hear her footsteps creak on the wooden floor below her feet. She opened each door in the hallway, looking into each room and using the candle to look about.

"Ash, where did you go?" she asked. She noticed a window in one room, which showed that it was darker than before. There was still the strange mist from before, but she could just barely make out the dark sky beyond it. For some reason, the mansion suddenly felt very cold. May shivered slightly. She really couldn't wait until morning to get out of this place.

Suddenly, she thought she heard footsteps running down the hall on her left. She turned in that direction, the candle casting a long shadow down the hallway.

"Ash? Was that you?" she whispered. May started walking down the hallway, candle held high. The footsteps suddenly sounded again, now running behind her. She quickly turned, but still didn't see anybody.

"Whose there?" she asked. She didn't receive an answer. She frowned before turning and continuing down the hallway. As she reached the end of it, the running sounded again, and this time she thought she saw a shadow of someone down the hall adjacent from hers.

"Ash?" she called as she ran toward it, turning the corner just in time to see a door swing shut. Gulping, she cautiously started to approach it. May soon reached it, putting a hand on the doorknob.

"Excuse me? Who's in here?" she asked. She turned the knob in her hand, swinging it open and looking in from the hallway. It looked like an ordinary room, except that there was nobody in it. And, unlike the other rooms, a large TV sat on the floor and there were no beds. Only the TV and the bookcases on either side of it. The TV was on, flickering and casting a bluish glow on the walls. May stepped up toward it.

"I wonder who left this on..." she whispered.

_Well, I don't think they should leave this TV running if there is no one watching it..._

May reached toward the dial, when quite suddenly, an electric shock from the dial came out and hit her hand.

"Ow!" she hissed, taking her hand away from the dial. She chuckled weakly.

"It's nothing...it's just static..." she muttered. She leaned in toward the screen, her face merely inches away from it as she started toward the dial again.

Suddenly, the blue screen turned red and she found herself looking into a pair of menacing yellow eyes. The eyes blinked once before suddenly narrowing. May let out a choked scream, backing away from the TV as electric sparks started shooting out of the TV and hitting the bookcases and walls around her. The eyes on the screen seemed to suddenly push outward from the TV, and pretty soon, a small red Pokemon was in front of her. It had electricity dancing all over its body and was see-through.

"A ghost?" she whispered.

The Pokemon shot out an electric spark at her and she quickly rolled to the side, detaching a pokeball from her hip.

"Eevee, go!" she called. The pokeball burst open to reveal a brown fox looking Pokemon.

"Use Shadow Ball!" she ordered. From what she remembered, a ghost type attack would seriously damage a ghost type Pokemon. Eevee jumped into the air and fired a large purple ball of energy at the ghost Pokemon. The ghost Pokemon's eyes widened as it quickly moved to the side. The attack instead hit the TV, which seemed to affect the Pokemon. The TV's screen cracked and the Pokemon seemed to cry out in pain. It glanced once at May before suddenly disappearing, a red streak of electricity smashing into the TV. The TV flickered once, before showing the following words-

"The purple portrait holds what you seek." May read. The TV flickered the sentence once more before turning black, smoke billowing out of the TV. She backed out of the room, hands shaking as she recalled Eevee.

"What the heck is going on here!?" she asked aloud. She didn't notice Zoey watching her curiously around the corner.

* * *

_"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO!?"_

_Paul winced as Dawn huffed next to him, her body shaking. _

_"I'm sorry Dawn, but I can't allow you to go on this journey."_

_"WHY NOT?" _

_The two were standing before Dawn's mother, who sat in a royal looking chair. _

_"Your place is here Dawn. You know that."_

_"But I don't want to be stuck in this place! I want to travel the world! And I won't be by myself, I'll be with Paul! Isn't that enough?" she asked. _

_"My answer is no Dawn. Your duties lie here, therefore you must stay here."_

_Dawn glared, her eyes watering before she suddenly stormed out. "I hate you!" she shouted as she ran out. Paul had a hand out. _

_"Dawn!" he called, but she didn't stop as she ran off. He turned back to Dawn's mother, bowing once. "I'm sorry that I started this."_

_Dawn's mother sighed. "It's not your fault. She'll learn someday." she whispered. "There are many dangerous people that would hurt her if word got out of who she was."_

_Paul didn't say anything as he stepped out into the hall, walking a little before running to catch up with Dawn. When he did, he caught her just storming down the stairs._

_"Dawn!"_

_"It's not fair!" she suddenly burst out. "I don't want this lifestyle of being a guarded princess! I want to be like everyone else!"_

_Paul sighed. "I..."_

_Dawn suddenly grabbed his hands. "But I have an idea! What if me and you just leave? Without telling anyone?" she whispered. Paul's eyes lowered. _

_"I-I don't know about that." _

_"I know they'll be angry and disappointed, but when we come back, they'll see how happy we are and they'll realize that I was right! That we were right!" she whispered, talking faster now. "Come on, what do you say? Please take me with you when you leave again!" she pleaded. _

_Paul stared at her eyes, his mouth twitching at the way she was begging and how her eyes seemed to warble._

_"...Fine." he muttered as quietly as possible. _

_"Really?" she asked._

_"Yeah. I'll come get you when I have decided to leave." he whispered, pulling her closer. "I promise to take you with me. If that's what will make you happy."_

_Dawn smiled in his arms._

_"Yes, it really would."_

_Neither one noticed the orange haired girl watching them under the stairwell, who had heard every word..._

* * *

"Pikachu? Where did you run off to buddy?" Ash called for his electric mouse. He so far had no luck in finding him. As he passed a door and called for Pikachu, a voice on the other side spoke up.

"Ash, is that you?"

Ash pushed the door open curiously. He appeared to be in a library. Thousands of bookshelves sat around him, as well as the comfy lounge in the middle that had desks on either side. And sitting in an armchair in front of a fireplace was Dawn, who stood up when she had heard his voice. Ash smiled.

"Oh, hi Dawn! Hey, you haven't seen Pikachu, have you? He seems to have wandered off..." he trailed off, looking around. He didn't notice Dawn set down the wine glass on the table next to her.

"No I haven't. I'll have Zoey look for him, OK?" she asked.

"OK...but..."

"Say Ash, would you like a drink?" she suddenly asked. She held up another wine glass that had not been there a moment ago. The drink appeared to be a clear color. Ash entered the room and took the drink from her. It would seem rude if he said no after all.

"Thanks." he said, taking a small sip. He made a small face. The drink tasted really weird. Dawn frowned.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"No, nothing." he said before taking another sip. The second one seemed easier than the first one. He glanced up at the portrait hanging over the fireplace, tilting his head to one side. "Who's that?" he asked, pointing to the occupant of the picture.

"Oh, that's my old boyfriend, Paul." she whispered. "He's currently out on a Pokemon journey right now."

Ash nodded. "He seems...intense." he noticed.

"He was always serious, but to me he showed his more lax and carefree side." she smiled sadly. Ash smiled a little too, but for slightly different reasons. _May had nothing to be jealous about; Dawn already has a boyfriend..._

"Sit, sit Ash." she said, indicating the chair next to her. He sat down without really thinking about it. For some reason he felt a little tired.

"How is May?" she asked.

"She's angry at me for some reason. I think she was jealous of you for some reason." Ash shrugged before taking a sip of the odd tasting drink again.

"Really?" she said, head tilted. "I wonder why." Ash didn't notice that she was smirking, but that might have been because his vision was a little fuzzy at the corners.

"Yeah..." he muttered.

"Well, I'm sure she'll get over it. She must be imagining things." she suggested.

"Yeah, she must be..." Ash said. For some reason his head was pounding.

He didn't notice Dawn scoot over closer to him. "Don't worry about her; I'm sure she's fine."

"OK..." Ash had the strangest feeling at the moment, like he was forgetting something. Wasn't he looking for someone or something a moment ago?

He suddenly felt a hand on his cheek, tracing it with one delicate finger. "You don't need her. I'm right here you know." Dawn whispered as her other hand seemed to pry the glass out of his slack fingers.

Ash struggled to collect his slipping thoughts together. Whatever she had just said at the moment, he for some reason knew that it wasn't true. He needed her...the girl she was talking about...

The finger stopped its tracing. "You don't look so well Ash..." she said, her lips brushing against his.

"I..."

"Well don't worry about that, I can make you feel better." she said, and without warning, she pushed her lips against his. Ash's eyes widened, but he couldn't do anything. His body wasn't working and his brain felt fried as she deepened the kiss, a hand winding on his jacket collar. His eyes were drooping. He felt really tired and not at all fazed by Dawn's tongue in his mouth. But somewhere in his brain, his logic was nearly screaming at him, telling him to push her away, but it was coming garbled and hard to understand. A hand weakly rose up as he seemed to mutter "Dawn...", but she silenced him immediately, her other hand grabbing the outstretched hand and holding it down.

The strangest thing was, he couldn't actually feel her hand wrapped around his wrist, nor her kiss. It felt more like pressured air pushing against him. He could no longer keep his eyes open, and as he lost contact with consciousness, a last fleeting thought dashed through his mind.

_May..._

Dawn pulled away, smirking at the passed out trainer on the chair.

"Sleep tight, Ash Ketchum."

* * *

_Paul approached her from where she had her back to him, looking out over the balcony. He sighed, knowing that this was going to be hard. _

_"Dawn..."_

_"You're leaving without me, aren't you?" she whispered. _

_He didn't say anything; instead, he chose to simply admire her as she stood out in the moonlight in her pink dress. He walked up next to her. _

_"It's a beautiful night..." he said nonchalantly. _

_"Don't try to change the subject." she snapped harshly, which made even the stony Paul jump slightly. _

_"Dawn..."_

_"Why Paul? Why can't I come with you?" she asked. _

_"I...I'm worried for you. We don't know how much trouble we're going to get into if I decide to sneak you out of here. Technically, it could be considered kidnapping..." he said worriedly._

_"Then we won't get caught! I just don't want to lose you! I don't want to be here all alone again!" Dawn started crying. Paul wrapped an arm around her. _

_"I'm sorry Dawn...I'm just nervous about this."_

_"Paul..."_

_He turned her around to face him. "Listen Dawn. I really do think your place is here. Just for a little while longer. I just don't want you in trouble. I'll even give up Pokemon traveling to stay here with you if I have to. Dawn...I love you."_

_Dawn looked up, her eyes wet. "Y-you love me?"_

_"I've always loved you Dawn. Since we first met. I love you so much; I don't want you to get in trouble or for something bad to happen. I would do anything to make you happy. It just took me a little while longer to realize that I would even give up the world for you. I'll stay here. And maybe someday...we can get married. And then when that happens, we'll be able to leave together without any restrictions."_

_"...Paul...I love you too!" she hiccupped. Paul cupped her face, a thumb wiping her tears before his lips lowered and met hers. After a few minutes, they broke apart. _

_"I'll always be right here with you Dawn. Tonight, I'm going to go over to my home in Oldale and pack all my things together to move in here." he whispered. She nodded. _

_"OK...I'll wait for you..." she whispered. He hugged her close to him once more before kissing her again, their hands intertwined. He then broke off, holding hands falling apart, smiling as he walked toward the door. _

_"I'll come right back. I promise."_

* * *

May soon found herself following more footsteps until she found a room even stranger than the last one. There was absolutely nothing in it. Nothing except for one empty portrait with a purple background hanging on the wall. She approached it carefully. After her experience with the TV, she really wasn't taking any chances. When she tilted her head to one side, the picture held nothing. When she tilted to the other side, she nearly had to stop herself from screaming. A person had appeared in it, a boy with purple hair and intense looking eyes that seemed to be glaring at her. That wasn't the most disturbing thing though.

The boy in the picture didn't even seem to notice that he was bleeding. Blood was dripping down his face from his scalp and into his eyes and mouth. May put her hands to her own mouth, as there was also blood from his chest and on to the floor under his feet. She stepped away from the portrait, and he disappeared. She stepped forward again, but for some reason he didn't come back.

"W-who was that?" she asked aloud, voice shaking. She suddenly thought she heard a lock click behind her, and she turned, not noticing the red eyes that appeared in the now empty canvas. When she turned back, she screamed. The boy was standing in front of her, not blinking. The canvas was now white instead of purple.

"W-who the heck are you? And what is going on!?" she shouted, scared out of her wits. The boy's mouth twitched.

"You can see me?" he asked.

"Of course I can! You're right in front of me, bleeding!" she pointed out. The boy put a hand to his head and chest, pulling them back and seeing blood. He didn't seem all that surprised that he was bleeding, as if it was something that had already been obvious to him.

"Huh..." he muttered. "I wonder why she let you see me..."

"What?"

The boy blinked once. "This is the first time anyone beside that witch has been able to see me since my death." he said with slight amazement. "Usually they end up locked in here hearing voices and going insane..." he said more to himself than to her.

"But who are you? And what in the world are you talking about?" May stressed, backing up to the door.

He blinked once, his eyes even more intense than before.

"My name's Paul. And it seems that you're the next victim."

* * *

_Paul was walking away from the mansion, his back to it, smiling a little. He was on his way back home to get his stuff. He didn't hear footsteps approach him from behind until he had gone past the gate. _

_"Paul."_

_"Dawn?" he asked curiously before turning around, only to find that it wasn't Dawn and that he was staring into the barrel of a gun, pointing at his head. _

_"We need to talk." _

* * *

"W-what!?" May gasped.

"You don't even know what's going on?" Paul asked her.

"No I don't! Ash and I were just passing through before getting stuck in this crazy place! If you know what's going on, tell me right now!" she shouted.

He didn't say anything except, "So that's how it is. More stray travelers...the female getting stuck in here where she dies from lack of oxygen while the male mysteriously disappears. Most likely drugged and killed."

"N-no! That can't be!"

"Afraid it is." he muttered before boredly sitting down on the floor.

"Well, can you tell me what's going on?" May asked.

"Simple-I was Dawn's boyfriend many years ago, then the witch killed me, got stuck as a ghost, and when she realized I was still around, she somehow cursed me to this portrait and made it so that it was the only thing connecting me to the mortal realm. I can't go very far, much less outside that door without automatically disappearing. And now for some reason, she convinced her into thinking I might have been reincarnated as someone else, and getting her to kill every male that approaches this place to find the real me, when I'm actually right here." he said all in one breath. He lacked any emotion in what he said.

May couldn't believe it. How could this kind of thing happen? How was she supposed to process all this?

"I...I can't believe that Dawn would do something like that! I may not like her, but..." May started to say.

Paul's eyes flashed. "What do you mean about Dawn?"

"Isn't that who you meant?"

Paul's eyes darkened.

"I wasn't talking about Dawn. I was talking about Zoey."


	4. Hand In Hand

Well, here is the final chapter! Hopefully all the questions get answered, and hopefully we get some closure! And I'm sorry that it kind of got darker and confusing than I meant for it to be. Also, Zoey has no romantic feelings for Dawn, it's all platonic friendship. And going crazy after a few years. And selling your soul to a ghost Pokemon.

I hoped you enjoyed this fic, and had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

I don't own Pokemon.

**Four: Hand In Hand**

_Paul blinked in confusion at the orange haired girl. "Aren't you Dawn's servant, Zoey?" he asked._

_She shook her head. "Don't change the subject! I'm not going to..."_

_"To what?"_

_"I won't let you take Dawn away from here!"_

_"What are you talking about!?" Paul asked, somewhat alarmed._

_"You're planning on her running off with you. I heard you both on the stairwell. And I'd be stupid to let you do that."_

_"Zoey, we're not doing that any-"_

_"I never liked you. So arrogant, so cool...corrupting Dawn with these ideas of leaving the mansion. Well, now I'm going to stop that." she said, lifting the gun up. _

_"Zoey, that's crazy! You can't-"_

_"What Dawn doesn't know won't hurt her."_

_"Zoey!" he shouted, a hand grabbing at his belt to call out a Pokemon, any Pokemon. Zoey saw the movement and fired the gun, the slug hitting him in the chest. He staggered, coughing as blood gurgled between his lips. He felt himself falling, but he didn't feel himself hit the ground. Yet, he was still alive...for a few seconds._

_Dawn...I..._

_Zoey appeared in his line of vision as she aimed the gun once more. _

_"No hard feelings. You understand."_

_He numbly felt something slam into the side of his head, and he knew no more, the last thing he saw was those haunted yellow eyes of that cat at Zoey's feet..._

* * *

Ash groggily woke up, putting a hand to his head. Or, he would have, if his hand wasn't chained behind his back.

Wait, what!?

Ash opened his eyes wider, his mind completely clear as he found himself chained to a support beam. He was standing straight up, hands behind his back and being held by thick iron chains. He appeared to be in what might have been a ballroom at some point, but it was dusty, as if no one had danced in this room for quite some time. A couple of spiderwebs clung to the ceiling, and the only other sign of life was the roaring fireplace in front of him.

"Awake are we?"

Ash snapped his head around to see Dawn walking toward him.

"Dawn! What's going on? Why..."

"You see, you must be him. You're so nice and you remind me so much of him." she said without listening to him.

"What are you-"

"You must be him. Just wearing a different face this time. Time makes fools of us all I suppose." she sighed.

"Tell me what the heck is going on! What are you talking about!?" Ash shouted, struggling against the chains.

"I'll be with my Paul again soon. I just have to peel that body away and get to his soul..." she said, again disregarding him.

"My soul?" Ash asked, stopping in his struggle.

"Yes. I told him that I would always wait for him, he promised he would come back...and I believe that promise...even in death..." she said, and as she said this, her body seemed to flicker, like a projection.

"You're..."

"That's right. I'm dead. I died a very long time ago, waiting for him to come home." Dawn whispered. "And now, you're going to help me bring him to me."

"As if I'm really going to let you do that!"

"I'm afraid that you don't have a choice. You see, I've dealt with your friends..." she said, holding a hand up. A ball seemed to form in her hand, and like a movie, it showed images of Pikachu and Ash's pokeballs inside of a weird looking box. Ash gasped. She had Pikachu! He watched as Pikachu tried to electrocute the box, but suddenly, the box got smaller, pushing Pikachu farther inward.

"Eventually the box will crush your Pokemon. Zoey did it for me, what do you think? I was surprised that she actually knew how to do things like that..." she muttered with slight surprise.

"Don't! Don't do that..."

"And I think Zoey is already taking care of the girl at the moment..." she continued on.

Ash stopped. "Leave her out of this!"

"Why? You dragged her into it, didn't you?" Dawn asked.

"No...Just...let my friends go! I don't care what you do to me; just don't kill my Pokemon or May."

"And that's what I was waiting for." Dawn smiled. "Good to see that you know where you stand, Ash Ketchum."

Ash lowered his head as Dawn looked around the ballroom. "You know, me and Paul once used to dance in this very room." she said out of the blue, before glancing over at Ash.

"So Ash...are you ready to dance with me into death?"

* * *

_"I'm sorry Dawn...but...he left. I checked with Oldale. He suddenly packed his things up and left without notice."_

_Dawn sunk down in a chair. "But...he..."_

_"Dawn..." Zoey said, concerned for her friend. _

_"He said that he would never leave me...that he was going to stay with me..." she whispered. Dawn didn't notice the quick fleeting look of shock that flitted across Zoey's face before Dawn suddenly stood. _

_"No, I don't believe that! He said he would come back, and I said I wait for him. And that's what I'll do! No matter how long it takes!"_

_But of course, Paul never came back. Many years passed. Dawn never left her room in those years. Soon, ten years had passed, and yet she still looked the same as she did when she was ten. Always sitting in front of the window, waiting for Paul to come. One day, when Zoey was delivering her meal, she heard Dawn whisper, _

_"I'll wait for you forever..."_

_The next day, Zoey woke up. The day seemed normal...except..._

_She was floating slightly. _

_Zoey screamed as she saw that she was floating an inch off the ground, her body see-through. _

_"W-what's going on?" she asked aloud. She forced her feet onto the ground. As she ran through the hallways to Dawn's room, she noticed that all the other occupants of the house also looked like ghosts, with no memory of how they had suddenly died without warning. _

_"Dawn!" she called. Dawn was standing at her balcony, also see-through and pale, paler than before anyway. _

_"Don't sound so shocked Zoey. I did say I would wait forever." Dawn whispered. _

_Zoey later found out that because of Paul's death, Dawn had slowly driven herself off the deep end. That night, she had slipped sleeping pills to everyone in the mansion, including herself. She had convinced herself that she might have to wait in death for Paul to come back. _

_"Now we really can wait forever!"_

* * *

May was breathing hard. Paul had been right; the oxygen was thin in the room. Of course, he wasn't affected by it.

"Why can I see you?" May asked.

"Only those who aren't afraid of dying are able to see me. It might explain why Zoey could see me-she was already dead and she wasn't afraid of the possibility of passing over to the unknown. Dawn...I think she couldn't see me at first because she's afraid that she won't find me before she passes on. If she ever does." he added.

May looked down at the ground. Was she afraid of dying? Truthfully...no. She was not afraid for herself.

She was afraid for Ash.

"So how did Zoey find you?" May asked, looking back up.

"You have to realize that Zoey was also driven off the deep end. When you stay dead, a lot of crazy ideas form in your head. She thought I was cursing this house and its occupants. So one night, she spotted me, wandering around this hallway. She somehow tricked me into touching that portrait you see behind me, sealing me in it and making it so I can't leave this room. I can't move the portrait either." he pointed out.

"How could she do something like that?" May asked.

"I have a theory. I think Zoey might have made contact with one of the Gastlys or Haunters that float around here and it gave her those powers. Most likely in exchange for her soul."

"I didn't see any around while we were here."

"That's because she doesn't really need a soul. Those ghost Pokemon got tricked. She makes them obey her. She probably told them not to show their faces around Dawn or their victims, just to lead away the stray travelers into this room." he said disgustedly.

"But why would she tell Dawn that killing Ash would bring you back?"

"Give her a reason to not question why I haven't come back yet." Paul said bitterly.

May stood. "That's terrible! We have to do something!" she said.

"Well, the doors locked, I'm dead and you're a weak mortal. No offense." he quickly added. May scowled at him before pulling a pokeball from her belt.

"She forgot that I have Pokemon on me." she pointed out.

Paul watched as she tossed it into the air. "I need your help Blaziken!"

Blaziken appeared in a fiery flash, ready to fight, but then it noticed that there was no battle happening. She also noticed that it didn't seem to notice Paul at all.

"I need you to kick the door down!" May told it. Blaziken nodded before putting its foot up. It glowed with a fiery energy, and May had to quickly move to the side just as it used Blaze Kick on the door. The door, being so old, banged off its hinges, breaking off and skittering across the floor of the hallway.

"There's no time to lose, we have to...wait, aren't you coming?" she asked. Paul pointed at the cursed portrait.

"Oh right...wait...I think I have an idea..."

* * *

Zoey stood next to Dawn as she was preparing for the ceremony that would rip Ash's soul out of his body. She gave him a somewhat pathetic look. He was really nice and she did feel a little guilty that he was going to end up dying for nothing. But it was for the best, she knew. What did it matter if another pair of trainers and their Pokemon went missing? No one would ever know. Besides, her only goal in the afterlife was to keep Dawn happy, and if this was what Dawn wanted to do, then so be it.

True, Dawn wanted to be with that deplorable Paul, but Zoey knew that Dawn was better off without him. Her eyes narrowed distastefully. To hell with that logic, seeing as how Paul dominated her life, before and after. Nothing mattered. As long as Dawn didn't know. She wouldn't admit the mistake she had made in thinking that Paul was going to take her away from her rightful place. Eventually, he would have. Now Dawn would be where she belonged...forever.

It was better this way.

May looked over at Blaziken, who was running alongside her, the portrait tucked under its arm. Paul was floating on her other side as they traveled down the hallway.

"So tell me, why are you going to such lengths to save your friend?" Paul asked.

"I...he's...he's my best friend." she said after a moment. "I don't know what I would do without him."

"Do you love him?" Paul asked abruptly.

May turned red. "I don't think that's really any of your business."

"Listen, you're running down a hallway carrying a cursed portrait of a ghost of the lover of the person that's about to kill your best friend, running into certain danger. I think it is my business now." Paul said gruffly.

"Well..."

"Do you get a warm feeling in your chest when you're around him? Do your palms sweat when he smiles at you? Do you wish that he would hold your hand just a little longer?" Paul asked.

May felt herself slowing down. Yes...she did feel those things when she was with Ash...it...it was why she came back...because she didn't want to forget those feelings...

"Yes...I do."

Paul put his hands in his pocket. "You better tell him when you get the chance. Neither of us knows if you're going to make it out of this alive. Don't end up dying without telling the people you care about that you love them."

May frowned. "Is that what happened?" she asked.

Paul smiled a little. "No...I was lucky enough to tell her how I felt before I died. That might have been what kept me here instead of moving on...because I promised her that I would always be here with her..."

May didn't say anymore as they turned the corner, just as they heard a loud inhuman screech.

"It came from that room." Paul pointed. May nodded to Blaziken, who kicked the door down for them. May looked inside, but instead of finding Ash...

"Pikachu?" she asked.

* * *

"H-how exactly does this work?" Ash asked nervously as Dawn held up a dangerous looking silver knife. She chuckled.

"It wouldn't be very fun if you knew, would it Ash?" Dawn asked. She walked over to him and pushed the knife against him, the knife pressed against his neck flat-wise.

"Is there anything left you would like to say, Ash Ketchum?" she whispered.

"..." Ash looked up at the ceiling. What he wouldn't give to go back, to have just agreed with May to leave this place. In fact...May had still been angry at him. He wished he could apologize to her...and...tell her...that...

Ash blinked. For a second, he thought he had seen May above him, in one of the rafters. But it had been quick, a glimpse of red.

"Well?"

May suddenly appeared in his line of vision, nodding to him. And next to her was...Pikachu!

"Yeah, I do have something to say. Pikachu, use Thundershock!"

"What?" Dawn looked up as Pikachu jumped down from the rafters.

"Pi-ka-chu!" it shouted as the electricity shot down and slammed into Dawn's body. She was knocked off her feet, hitting the floor a few feet away from Ash. The knife hit the ground hear her foot, stuck in the ground standing up.

"May, Pikachu!" he said as they jumped down from the rafters, who May had some help from Blaziken, who was holding a portrait for some reason. "How-"

"I escaped and found Pikachu. Blaziken helped it escape from that strange box. Here's your pokeballs by the way." she said as she took the portrait from Blaziken and handed him his pokeballs as Blaziken kicked the chains apart.

"Thanks May. But...what's with..." he started to say, pointing at the portrait, but they were interrupted.

"How dare you!"

May turned to see Dawn standing, the knife back in her hand. "You can't stop me from getting him back...even if I have to kill you personally!" she hissed, eyes ablaze. For the first time, May noticed a dark glow around her eyes...as if something was possessing her.

"Dawn, wait!" May pleaded. "There's something you should know..."

Zoey stood up straighter as May flipped the portrait around. "This is him right? The one you love?"

Dawn found herself looking at her Paul...the picture of him trapped in the portrait and the blood that he was covered in.

"How...Paul..." she muttered, at a lost for words, the knife falling from her hands. Her eyes seemed less clouded.

"Don't listen to her, Lady Berlitz." Zoey suddenly spoke up sharply. "She's just trying to trick you."

"Y-yeah..." she said weakly, the fire starting to light again.

Suddenly, she heard a voice. "Dawn..."

"P-Paul?" Dawn asked. The Paul in the portrait suddenly leaned forward, his body breaking forward from the holds of the portrait. Now it was in its ghostly form once again, having gone back in as a request from May.

"Yes, it is me." he said.

"It...It really is you!" she whispered, the cloudy look in her eyes fading away. She ran forward, arms wrapping around his bleeding form. "Why...why didn't you...what happened?" she asked, her words falling out faster than she could control them.

"Why don't you ask your friend Zoey?" he said rather coldly. Dawn looked around to face Zoey, who had a defeated look on her face.

"Zoey..."

"You didn't need him anyway." she said without looking at her.

"Zoey! You didn't..."

"He was ruining you! He was going to destroy everything that you had worked for, Lady Berlitz. Your place was here, not out there!" Zoey suddenly snapped.

"But you killed him! You killed the love of my life!" Dawn screeched at her.

"It was all for you! You were better off without him! Can't you see that?" Zoey also screamed back.

"I can't forgive you Zoey...I can't!"

"I don't need your forgiveness. I don't care anymore! I thought I did, but now I realize that I don't. For all I care, you people can just rot!" she shouted as a dark energy seemed to swell around her. Her hands were covered in the energy and shaped into menacing claws. Her eyes were wide and deranged as she shot a blast of energy at the group from her hand.

"May, look out!" Ash yelled as he grabbed May around the waist and pulled her to the side. Paul did the same with Dawn, grabbing her by the arm and floating out of the path. The blast hit the support beam that Ash had been chained to, causing the ceiling to shake above them.

"It's going to fall!" May thought she heard Dawn yell.

_As if it will really hurt you two, you only get hurt by Pokemon attacks..._ May thought to herself just as Ash suddenly put his arms over her.

"Ash?" she asked.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything hit you." he reassured her as pieces of the ceiling started coming down.

They braced themselves as wood started falling around them. Blaziken and Pikachu moved into position, kicking or using Iron Tail to knock the falling pieces away. Eventually, the entire ceiling above them came down, engulfing the room in a cloudy smoke.

May coughed, the grit and dust in her throat as she shakily lifted her head up from the rubble around her. She spotted Dawn and Paul floating nearby, watching them. Pikachu and Blaziken seemed alright, shaking off any pieces that might have clung to them.

"Ash? What about you?" she asked, looking down to see Ash on her chest, pinning her down to the ground. He lifted his head up, sporting a nice developing welt from where a stray piece had conked him on the head.

"I'm alright..." he said.

"Are you sure?" May asked.

"Positive."

"Good...mind getting off me?" she asked.

Ash looked down and noticed where he was, quickly standing up, and red in the face. "Uh, yeah."

May stood up as well, somewhat red as well. "Yes, well...thanks Ash."

"Heh, no problem..." he laughed.

"Still alive? Well that won't be for much longer." said a hateful voice near them. Everyone turned to see Zoey, still shaking with rage. The only thing in tact was the fireplace, which still supported a roaring fire.

"Why would you do this? How was this supposed to make Dawn happy?" Ash asked.

Paul suddenly muttered something. "You were jealous. Dawn would get to go out into the world while you were stuck here, it was meant to be the other way around, right?"

"Shut up!" Zoey snapped.

"Why can't you just move on? Rest in peace?" May asked.

"Don't you remember what I told you May?" Paul spoke up as he and Dawn landed next to them. "She doesn't have a soul anymore. She's just a shell of the former Zoey. In a sense, she's nothing but a ghost Pokemon's corrupted puppet."

Zoey's eyes seemed to get smaller, like tiny pin-pricks of red. "What would you know?" she hissed.

_"Zoey...if you're so unhappy...maybe I could help..." spoke the Haunter._

_"How can you help?" she asked. "I'm as dead as you are!"_

_"I can give you powers. I can give you the ability to make Dawn happy." _

_Zoey hesitated before looking in the direction of the room where Dawn was. "I...I'll do it then. Take anything you want from me."_

_"I plan to. A dead person doesn't need a soul, right?"_

_Zoey gulped, but as the ghost Pokemon glowed, she had to keep telling herself that she was doing this for Dawn..._

"Nothing! You know nothing!"

The flames in the fireplace seemed to roar, surging upward behind her, giving her a demonic look. "But I can fix this. I can just take you all with me into the pits of darkness! Then everything will be how it should be!" she shouted as her claws seemed to shoot outward. One grabbed Dawn around the waist and the other grabbed May by the neck.

"May!" Ash shouted as May was roughly shot forward. The flames of the fireplace seemed to overwhelm Zoey, covering her completely as the ground around the fireplace broke apart beneath their feet. An endless pit seemed to be underneath them, to take them to who knew where. Zoey laughed once before dissolving as nothing more than shadowy arms that started dragging May and Dawn into the pit.

Ash threw himself at the ground, sliding as his hand reached for May's barely slipping. May grabbed the edge, trying to use all her strength not to get pulled in.

"May, take my hand!" Ash shouted.

May reached out, but the arms jerked harder, causing her to almost let go of the edge.

"May!"

"I can't!"

"Yes you can! You have to trust me! I won't let you fall!" he shouted. May breathed deeply before trying again, this time being able to firmly hold onto his hand. Blaziken put its arms around Ash's waist and helped him jerk May out of the grasp of the arm.

Paul on his end wasn't having the same luck; her hand's slipping from his. He looked around. _There's got to be something!_

He then spotted the portrait, lying on its face side.

"You, May! Throw me the portrait!" he ordered. May picked up.

"But won't you..."

"Just do it!"

May threw it toward him, and Paul moved to the side and allowed the portrait to fall, striking the arm that held Dawn. The arm let go as it and the portrait fell into the pit. Paul pulled Dawn out just as the ground started sealing itself back up again.

"We...we did it." Ash breathed.

"But Paul, won't you end up disappearing?" May asked.

"I...I don't think so. I think it had to be destroyed while I'm not in it in order to set me free." he said. "Like it mattered anyway."

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"I think it's time for the both of us to start passing over to the other side. We've been waiting for far too long for us to be together again." Paul said, pulling Dawn closer to him.

"Paul...what if we can't? What if we can't find heaven?" she whispered. "I've done a lot of terrible things..."

"It wasn't your fault Dawn. It was all Zoey's doing..." Paul said, looking down at her and trying to assure her. She hugged on to him tighter.

"I just...I just don't want us to get separated again!" she wailed. Paul's hand found hers.

"Then I'll just make sure that we stay connected so that we don't. As long as I'm holding your hand, I won't leave you behind..." Paul whispered.

Ash and May smiled. They were happy to see that the both of them had found each other and were together again. Dawn suddenly turned to look at Ash.

"Ash, I'm sorry about earlier...about...what I did."

"Huh?" Ash asked. Then he remembered. The kiss.

"What did she do?" May asked, when she noticed Ash's face burning.

"Well...she...ahh..." Ash muttered, at a lost for words.

"She kissed you, didn't she?" May muttered quietly. Ash turned even redder.

"How do you...?"

"Girl's intuition. Was it forced or..." she trailed off, eyes narrowing a little.

"It doesn't matter May. Because...I love you." Ash suddenly slipped out.

May went pink instead of red, eyes wide and mouth falling open. "W-what!?" she asked.

"I love you May. I would do anything to make sure that you were safe and happy, even if it meant risking my own life. I can't imagine not being with you anymore!" he managed to say after a moment. It looked like all those words had been a bit awkward to say from that dense head of his. May wrapped her arms around him.

"I love you too Ash. I always have. That's why I came back. It didn't feel right without you. I knew that my place was at your side."

"May..."

"Ash..."

"You two going to kiss yet?" Dawn asked. May and Ash blushed furiously. "Well, we...uhh..." they said clumsily.

Paul looked nonchalantly off at the wall. "Hey Ash..."

"What?"

"If you screw that up, I swear to Ho-oh that I'm going to haunt your ass from the grave. I can't stand people who mess up the best thing that ever happens in their life. I would know." he added as Dawn smiled at him.

"R-right...I won't..."

They looked over at Pikachu and Blaziken, who were trying their hardest not to laugh.

"Oh you two stop!" Ash and May said at the same time, before bursting out laughing.

Everything was as it should have been...

* * *

"I hope you get to your town safely Ash!" Dawn waved from the doorway of the mansion. Ash and May waved to the two of them before starting down the path back to the forest and back on track to Eterna City.

"Goodbye!" they called.

Dawn and Paul smiled as they watched them leave. Dawn looked up at the sky, frowning a little.

"There's no mist..."

Paul looked up as well. "Huh, you're right..."

"Also...I...I think I see something. You don't think..." she whispered, turning to face him. He took her hand reassuringly.

"I guess we'll just have to see for ourselves." he said as he leaned down and kissed her, and slowly, the two seemed to rise up into the sky until they faded away before even reaching the clouds.

Ash and May didn't see this though, for by this time they were in the forest. "Do you think that they'll make it?" May asked.

"I'm sure they will." Ash nodded. Pikachu nodded as well from its usual perch on his shoulder.

"I feel bad about Zoey though. She thought she was doing what was best for Dawn, but ended up selling her soul in the end." May whispered.

"I think Zoey might have found peace somewhere too. Somehow..." he muttered. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I don't like seeing you sad."

"Yeah...you're right." she muttered. Ash smiled before placing a light kiss on her lips. When they moved apart, they were both pink.

"So, I wonder how Brock is going to take us being a couple." May mentioned aloud.

Ash grinned. "I guess we'll just have to find out." he laughed as he grabbed May's hand and started running off into the forest.

"Ash!" she laughed, "Slow down!"

"But don't forget, I still have to get my gym badge too you know!" he reminded her.

May smiled. _He just went through a life changing ordeal, and he's still thinking about badges..._

What neither of them noticed, was that as they started to race off, they stepped on an old Pokemon Weekly magazine that someone had lost in the woods, a large shoe-print now across it. The only thing readable was the small article in the corner of the page, depicting a somewhat faded picture of the Pokemon Chateau and a young girl in pink standing outside of it.

_Pokemon Weekly News_

_Rumor Patrol: The Pokemon Chateau_

_Lady Dawn Berlitz, the maiden of the Pokemon Chateau, was found dead in her home one Wednesday evening. Not only was she dead, it was found that the rest of the inhabitants had also died. Cause of death was listed as "murder-suicide" as it appears that all the people in the house were slipped sleeping pills. It suggests that the Lady was suffering from depression. Not all the details are clear, but rumor is that it was because of the disappearance of one Paul (the last name was faded), apparently Dawn's best friend. _

_It's been 10 years since her death, and the rumor of the week is that anyone who enters the house...never comes out again. _

_Is it haunted? Does her ghost wander the mansion, waiting for her friend to come back? What happens to those that enter this supposedly haunted mansion? _

_I guess we'll never know. _

The wind picked up and blew the magazine up into the air, sending it twisting through the trees like a plastic bag caught in an updraft. May paused for a second, hearing the strange rustling.

"What was that?" she asked.

"What was what?" Ash asked, looking at her with concern.

After a second, May shook her head. "Never-mind, it was probably nothing."

"When you say it's nothing, that's when I start to worry." Ash mentioned. Pikachu nodded as well.

"Don't worry Ash. It's nothing to worry about." May reassured him.

"Ok May, if you say so." he said distractedly, as if he wasn't really listening to her.

"I don't think I like that tone, mister!"

The two laughed as they raced off for their destination, hand in hand as they took off for the next town to reunite with their friend, and off to their next adventure, whatever that might be, but what they both knew was that as long as they were together, nothing could ever tear them apart.

**The End**


End file.
